Grilled Fish Tacos + Cookbook Giveaway

I am an unapologetic taco lover. Love, love, love them. Always have since I was a kid. But here’s the thing – I’ve only ever had the traditional ground beef tacos. I’ve heard rave reviews of fish tacos and have been wanting to try them for some time, but obviously have fallen short. Until now. See, part of the thing is that I’m not a huge fish person. Shrimp, salmon, crab, sushi, all good. Also, cannot forget battered cod sandwiches, those are killer. And they should be in abundance soon with Lent right around the corner! But all those other types of fish? Trout, bass, snapper, etc? Meh, never appealed to me. Well, let me tell you. I am officially converted because this is, hands-down, one of the best meals I have made in a long, long time.

You can use red snapper or striped bass for this recipe. You rub down the fish fillet with a spicy herb mixture, let it marinade for a short time, and then grill it over high heat. Since there is still snow on the ground here, I used an indoor grill and had great results. Serving suggestions include shredded green cabbage, avocado, hot sauce, sour cream, pickled vegetables and some fresh lime juice. You can of course top them with whatever you’d like, but this combination of flavors is positively suburb. The fish is really mild and has a great smoky flavor from the rub; pair that with cabbage that’s a little salty, creamy avocado, tart pickled vegetables, a dash of hot sauce and cool sour cream and you have a seriously amazing taste buds dance party.

Back at the beginning of the year when I shared some of my favorite healthier recipes from the site, I also put a list of bestselling healthy cookbooks on the sidebar. Well, the editors at Whole Living saw that I had their book, Power Foods, on the list and asked if I’d like to check out a copy. I said sure, and have since really fallen in love with the book. Not only are there tons of great (healthy) recipes like this one, but they also go through 38 “power foods” that are great to include in your diet.

While it probably appears that I subsist primarily on butter, sugar and chocolate (with a side of cream cheese), that actually couldn’t be farther from the truth. I strive to eat mostly clean (nothing processed) meals the majority of the time – whole grains, fruits, vegetables (this is the hardest for me!), very little sugar, etc. So when the time comes to have a sweet treat I allow myself the indulgence, and then share the love with others. And since watching Food, Inc. a few months ago, I have been eating significantly less meat and poultry, so meal options like this one are great to have in my repertoire.

Since I loved this book so much, I want to share a copy of it with one of you! Details below on how to enter to win…

How to Enter

To enter to win a copy of the cookbook Power Foods, leave a comment on this post sharing your favorite healthy eating tip.

You can receive up to four additional entries to win by doing the following:

1. Subscribe to Brown Eyed Baker by either RSS or email. Come back and let me know you’ve subscribed in an additional comment.

2. Follow @browneyedbaker on Twitter. Come back and let me know you’ve followed in an additional comment.

3. Tweet the following about the giveaway: “RT @browneyedbaker: Cookbook Giveaway! Enter to win a copy of Power Foods: http://bit.ly/gJbHWs”. Come back and let me know you’ve Tweeted in an additional comment.

Winner: The winner will be chosen at random using and emailed. If the winner does not respond within 24 hours, another winner will be selected.

Disclaimer: The cookbook is provided by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc.

This giveaway is now CLOSED. Congratulations to commenter #24, Mariah!

Mariah won her chocolate by liking Brown Eyed Baker on Facebook: “Following you on Facebook too!”

And if you are curious, Mariah’s healthy eating tip: “My favorite healthy eating tip is substituting plain yogurt for mayonnaise in chicken or tuna salad. It tastes the same and is lower in fat than mayo =)”

Directions:

1. To make the Quick Pickled Vegetables: Combine vinegar, sugar and salt in a saucepan with the water; bring to a boil over high heat and stir to dissolve sugar. Add carrots, onions, and jalapeños, and reduce heat to medium-high. Simmer until carrots are just tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Pour into a bowl; let cool completely before covering and refrigerating. (Pickles will keep up to 2 weeks. Recipe makes 1 quart.)

2. Stir together cumin, oregano, chili powder, and 2 teaspoons salt. Mix in the olive oil and cilantro. Use a sharp knife to make shallow slits about 1½ inches apart into the fish skin; transfer to a large dish and rub both sides with spice mixture. Refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

4. Heat grill (or grill pan) to high (if using a charcoal grill, coals are ready when you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill for just 2 to 3 seconds); lightly oil grates. Place fish, skin side up, on grill. Cook, without moving fish, until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip, using two spatulas if necessary. Cook until fish flakes slightly when pressed in the center, 5 to 7 minutes more.

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My healthy eating tip is to add vegetables to everything. I sneak them in to pastas and always try to have a salad or a side of vegetables for dinner. If you don’t like them now, your taste buds will change and you will start to crave them. Especially if you roast them.

YUM, I live in Norway and fish is in abundance here, so I will definitely try these! I always try and exchange seafood for red meats in meals. In Norway we have a fish ball which is like a meatball but with fish…it’s wonderful!! I eat fish for breakfast and lunch (not ALL the time but a lot of the time) and I never get tired of it!!

One thing I do to help my family get more nutrition is to put spinach into our fruit smoothies. The kids even see me put it in there and have no problem with it because it tastes so good! Another thing I’ve done a few times is when making a savory homemade bread, substitute some of the water with assorted veggies pureed with water.

Hello! I am not a seafood gal at all, but I eat chicken tacos like this all of the time! (A bonus of living in Arizona…GREAT tacos are everywhere!!)

My favorite healthy eating tip is to keep it simple. Steamed veggies with nothing on them, grilled or baked chicken with spices and not sauces, and lots of salads! My favorite dressing on any salad is just olive oil and lemon juice.

I make sure that at each meal, at least 50% of what I eat is vegetables or fruit.
I also like the Cooks Illustrated technique of toasting panko with a little olive oil to use as a crispy coating on foods instead of frying the food.

Healthy eating tip: Think about the food you’re eating. If the only nutrition you’re getting out of it is calories, then find something else to eat–knowing that antioxidants come from blueberries and that vitamin C comes from carrots makes me so much more likely to eat (and enjoy!) them.

Portion control is key. I have a pretty strict “no seconds” rule. But don’t completely deprive yourself of a food you enjoy. Otherwise, you’ll just be more likely to binge eat it later. Enjoy what you like, like these fabulous-looking fish tacos, but just do so in moderation.

My favorite healthy eating tip is pretty simple, but right now, it is what I need to do – add more fruits and veggies. Have at least 1 with each meal and snack. I’ve also recently tried green smoothies to add some veggies.

I have a hard time with snacking so I really try to think about if I’m actually hungry. I drink a glass of water and if I’m still hungry afterward then I’ll have a snack. Most times I’m not actually hungry.

My favorite healthy eating tip is to avoid making those gooey chocolate chip cookies! When I’m fighting cravings like these, I eat plenty of baby carrots. They’re super filling and they take a lot of effort to eat. It fills me and allows me to trick myself into thinking I am snacking while eating only maybe 50-60 calories at a time!

An easy way to strive to eat better and healthier is to eat closer to the earth – bascially anything that is in its natural grown state (fruits, veggies, etc.).
We also try to eat mostly whole grains and eat “brown” instead of white (rice, potatoes, flour, etc.).

I try to eat every 2-3 hours so I don’t find myself ravenous and end up eating something I’ll regret later. It helps to have little snacks with me wherever I go; almonds, string cheese, dried apricots and lots of water.

my favorite healthy eating tip that is actually a yoga thing….i make all my meals “yoga meals”….i try to eat without distractions and savor each bite…putting my fork down between bites and being grateful….it really helps me taste my food and slow down to enjoy it….
and also….i try to avoid processed stuff like the plague!

Here’s my healthy eating tip: My largest meal of the day is breakfast, followed by lunch being the second largest and dinner being the smallest. This helps keep me full throughout the day and then I don’t get any cravings for anything at night!